The Widow in the Mists
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: While posted in a sleepy little town, local legends of a haunted old manor spark the curiosity of some troopers from Squad 7. What they find there instead is danger and dread, not only from their enemies but possibly something from beyond the grave too.
1. Urban Legends

**Disclaimer:  
I do not own Valkyria Chronicles. While this story might still have some of the lighter hearted elements of the VC series, I still aim to give it a supernatural twist and maybe get us into the spirit of Halloween too.**

* * *

Autumn had come to the Principality of Gallia and the war with the Empire had continued on. As the air cooled and the leaves began to change colors, so too had the pace of the conflict. With winter on the way, the Imperial advance had slowed and the skirmishes had lessened in their intensity allowing for both sides to stop and breathe. Likewise, Alex Raymond took a deep breath of the cool evening air as he stood perched atop a lookout tower of the village admiring the clear October skies. The blonde shocktrooper pulled out a pair of small binoculars and tried to look out over the small hamlet of Autumnvale in the direction of the frontlines.

This sleepy little town nestled at the edge of the Kloden Wildwood had remained largely untouched by the war but the shifting battle lines had drifted ever closer. Several miles northeast of Autumnvale, elements of Squad 7 and the other Gallian militia were sure to be facing off with the enemy but things had been quiet so far. As Alex scanned the horizon, he spotted an old run down mansion just outside of town limits. The curious looking manor was nestled in a quiet meadow half obscured by the dark woods and for a moment, Alex wondered if anyone lived there. As he looked closer at the desolate forbidding looking estate, Alex thought he spotted a few strange flickering lights there before he heard a familiar voice calling from below.

"Hey Bird! How's the weather up there?" came the friendly voice of Aika Thompson as she neared the base of the wooden tower and called up to her comrade."See anything interesting?"

Alex smiled at the use of his nickname given by a few of his friends of the squad as he clambered down to meet her.

"No such luck Aika," he finally said to the auburn haired scout once he reached the bottom, "It was such a nice evening I just thought I'd get a little air."

Once he greeted her, Alex found Aika was accompanied by her best friend and partner in crime, Vyse Inglebard. Vyse was a shorter young man with an athletic build, unruly brown hair, and a penchant for sporting a goggle over one eye. Whether it was for a fashion statement or it served some practical purpose no one quite knew. Having grown up together, Vyse and Aika were known to be brash and fearless fighters, if at times a little reckless too. Wherever one of them was, it was a sure bet the other would be close by. Although he was not quite as bold or reckless as the other two, Alex was still an adventurous spirit at heart and that was probably the reason he tended to spend a lot more time with them and became their friend too.

"I can't say I blame you," Vyse smiled as they all started to amble toward the town's central market, "There hasn't been much for us to do lately with the rest of the squad on their op. Man, I'm just chomping at the bit for some action right now."

Presently, the better part of Squad 7 was somewhere in the woods helping to block an Imperial advance. With the town of Autumnvale serving as a sort of basecamp, other Gallian militiamen who had been wounded in the fighting had been taken here to recover. Fortunately, Alex, Vyse, and Aika had been among those that were chosen to remain behind as part of the reserve forces. Unfortunately, they hadn't expected that things would be quite so boring here either.

As they came upon the center of town, the three friends watched as many of the local townspeople began to congregate around the central marketplace and put some last minute touches on on projects. The militia had only been in town for a couple days, but by the looks of things, the villagers were setting up for some kind of celebration. Colorful lights were being strung up by stacks of hay bales and bushels of corn while decorative scarecrows and carved pumpkins made by the children were being prepared.

"Hmm… I wonder what's going on here?" Alex asked curiously. He was surprised when someone spoke up from behind.

"From what I heard, it looks like Autumnvale's local Harvest Festival."

The three turned around quickly to see Lt. Faldio Landzaat, the commanding officer of Squad 1 who had been tasked to supervise the reserve Gallian troops in town. The three stopped and saluted before the handsome young officer returned the gesture with a genial smile.

"I'm sorry everyone. I was just passing by and couldn't help but overhear," Faldio said, "I had been speaking with the mayor this morning and he said that every year the town of Autumnvale has its annual Harvest Festival. He said the party lasts for three days and because of the town's name, it's a beloved tradition. Some even say this same festival has been celebrated here since the Middle Ages."

"Hey, that's great and all… but don't you think it might be a little risky to have a big party with the war still going on? And right in their backyard too?" Aika asked.

Faldio shrugged, "There were some in the town who felt the same way, but many others felt that it would still be good to try and do something to lift everyone's spirits. This war has caused enough fear and tragedy so it isn't wrong to want to put it all aside... at least for a day, right?"

"Well look on the bright side! If there's a festival going, there's bound to be lots of fun things to do, right?" Vyse said optimistically as he began to wander off toward some food stalls, "Maybe we could rustle up some good grub, or maybe some pumpkin ale?"

Aika gave a sigh as she began to follow after him before giving an apologetic look to Faldio, "Excuse me Lieutenant. I'd better go keep an eye on Vyse and make sure he doesn't do anything that'll land us all in the stockade."

Alex and Faldio exchanged a bemused laugh before Alex parted ways with him and began walking down another pathway of the town center. Here and there, he passed a few other fellow Squad 7 members and exchanged friendly waves. He had to admit, maybe this festival was a good idea after all. The smell of fresh food wafted in the air and faint strings of music floated in the air from some local band on the corner. As he strolled, Alex took a little time to admire some of the decorations and the arts and crafts being sold at a few stalls. That was until he spotted a female scout from Squad 7 standing by a merchant's stall admiring some dresses and rolls of fabrics.

Ramona Linton had always been one of the more notable members of the squad. Prior to her enlistment, the young redheaded scout had been a model for the popular fashion magazine Gallian Girl and while her confidence and poise served her well on the battlefield, her beauty had also been the cause of several male squadmates getting distracted; running into trees or tripping over themselves during training exercises. Unfortunately, Alex had been no exception either. He took a moment to gather up his courage and remind himself that he was still a shocktrooper, and a Gallian soldier. If he could run headlong into a hail of enemy bullets and mortar fire, then there was no reason he couldn't talk to a pretty girl, right?

He strolled over and cleared his throat, greeting her with a timid wave, "Hey Ramona. I was just passing by and thought I'd say hello."

She looked up for a moment and graced him with a polite smile before going back to studying one of the dresses in the stall, "Oh, hi Alex. Nice to see you too."

He paused and waited for a long moment but Ramona seemed a little preoccupied with the plain orange autumn dress in front of her. Alex asked lamely, "Umm... are you interested in buying that dress?"

She shook her head and chewed her bottom lip in dismay, "Hmm... I don't know. Maybe. I was actually thinking of something I could do to customize the dress if I bought it. I'm always thinking about new ways to design my own clothing styles and maybe even market them after the war."

"Really? I figured you might want to get back into modeling instead."

"Oh I still do," Ramona said with a sigh as she gave up on the dress and walked away from the stall, "But I thought it might be fun to make my own mark on the fashion world and... oh, sorry. You probably don't want to hear me gab on and on about clothes and makeup, and accessories and all that stuff. I swear, once I get going I just can't stop and..."

"Err... don't sweat it. It's cool," Alex interrupted with a bemused chuckle, "I'm surprised to see you aren't hanging out with your usual crew of Edy and Cherry. Usually you girls are always together."

"Well, it seems I'm on my own right now," Ramona shrugged, "Edy's away on that op with the rest of the squad and Cherry is still recovering from a busted ankle. You're not with your crew either? Vyse and Aika?"

"Oh I think they're off doing their own thing tonight," Alex said hesitantly, "I guess since our friends have left us high and dry, you wouldn't want to... I don't know..."

"Hang out and look around the festival?" Ramona replied calmly while leading the way, "Sure. Why not? I guess it could be fun, right?"

"Uh... right. Sounds great," Alex sighed in relief as he joined her and tried not to sound too eager either.

* * *

A short while later, the two came across Aika and Vyse who were sitting down on some wooden benches listening to the local musicians play while a few villagers were in the street dancing. Vyse sat contentedly drinking a mug of pumpkin ale and he greeted his comrades as they came over, "Hey Alex! Ramona! Come on over and try some of this local brew. It's great stuff."

Before they could reply, they saw a younger brunette girl in her early teens come over to pull at Vyse's sleeve. She wore a a makeshift veil and a simple white dress that looked more like a bedsheet or a cheap Halloween costume. Even more unusual, she had her face painted to give off a bit of a skeletal visage. The girl gave a giggle as she pulled at his sleeve trying to get him to stand up, "Oooh, a handsome young Gallian soldier. Beware. You will suffer terrible misfortune at the hands of a sinister woman."

Vyse gave his female best friend a joking grin, "Oh believe me, you have no idea my misfortune already."

"Hey!" Aika huffed indignantly but she was cut off by the 'ghostly' girl.

"If you come and dance with me, I can promise you won't be cursed by the White Widow and..."

"Elise! Cut that out," came the voice of an older middle aged man who suddenly came over to the benches with a reproving frown. He had an air of authority with short graying hair and a trim matching beard. It took a moment to recognize him, but they recalled him as Mr. Arentz, the town mayor and likely this girl's father too, "Don't bother these soldiers. You should go play pranks with your friends somewhere else tonight."

"Yes Papa," Elise sighed as she conceded to her father and wandered off into the crowd to find her other friends.

Mr. Arentz sighed and gave an apologetic look, "I'm so sorry about that. My daughter can be a bit of a trickster and during festivals like these, she and the other kids like to play pranks on people."

"That's okay sir. No harm done," Alex answered politely, "But I am curious. Did Halloween come early this year or is dressing up some part of the festival too?"

Mr. Arentz shook his head, "No. I think Elise was just making light of a local ghost story around here, the tale of the Widow in White."

Ramona gave a thoughtful look, "Well the work on her costume wasn't too bad, but this story sounds way more interesting. I'd love it if you could tell us more?"

"A ghost story?" Aika yelped as she tried to rise from her seat, "No way! Nuh uh. I won't have any part of this!"

Vyse gently grabbed her arm and sat her back down, "Oh come on Aika. Sit down and don't be such a scaredy cat."

If there was anything that unsettled the normally brave and tomboyish Aika, it was the mention of ghosts and spirits. She gave a mild grumble and reluctantly joined her friends as the mayor began to tell a story. "Well... not too far outside of the town limits is an old mansion in the woods. It was owned by the Langbroeks, an old noble family who used to rule over this area. The story involves one of the daughters of the family, a young woman named Dominique. Early on in the First Europan War, she was engaged to be married to an officer in the Gallian Army. Before they could get married, he was called away and went off to fight but he never returned."

Ramona covered her mouth in dismay, "Oh no... that's so tragic!"

Mr. Arentz nodded quietly, "Yes. It was said that Dominique was so grief stricken that she refused to believe that her fiancee had died... so she waited and waited for him. Even a year later, she continued to wait and other villagers wondered if she had begun to lose her mind. They say that on some nights Dominique would dress herself in the white wedding gown she was supposed to wear and go wandering in the nearby meadows of the estate looking for her lost love but she never found him."

"Creepy," Alex simply muttered with a quiet nod of agreement from Vyse.

The mayor sighed, "Not long after, it was said that Dominique lost her will to live and she died of a broken heart. Much like her, Dominique's family soon fell on hard times and the estate was sold off. It eventually fell into ruin over the years due to neglect. As far as I know, nobody lives there anymore but an old servant of the family who lives in town still goes up there from time to time to try and tend the grounds."

"I'm guessing a lot of the locals think the place is bad luck now, or maybe even haunted?" Aika asked.

Arentz shrugged, "That depends on what you choose to believe. There are a number of people from town who claim that the spirit of Dominique still wanders on her family estate. On certain nights when mists cover the ground, they claim they've seen her. Others have said that strange things go on around the house... things like voices in the winds, strange lights, or birds and wildlife steering clear of the grounds. Of course, those are just some of the exaggerated stories that haven't been proven."

Aika shivered again, "Hmm, I think I'll take the townsfolk's advice and steer clear of there too."

"What about this groundskeeper you mentioned? What does he think of all this?" Vyse asked excitedly.

The mayor shrugged, "I don't know really. Clement always kept quiet about it, but I suppose you could ask him yourself... if you can find him."

"What do you mean by that?" Ramona asked hesitantly.

"Clement has been away for a few days now and no one has seen him," Arentz said with a dark expression, "He usually spends a few days at a time doing work on that crumbling manor but it's a bit unusual for him to be away this long. I was actually getting ready to organize a search party to find him."

"Maybe we can help you with that," Vyse offered, "We could take a fireteam up there to patrol tomorrow morning. We can make it more of a search and rescue mission instead of a search and destroy one."

"Are you crazy?" Aika protested, "Did you not listen to that story? What part of haunted house and bad luck did you not understand?"

"But what about that Clement guy?" Ramona asked, "If he's hurt or in trouble, we can't just leave him stranded either."

Alex grimaced quietly to himself. He agreed with Ramona that helping was probably the right thing to do, depending on Lt. Landzaat's approval. But after hearing that odd story and having seen those strange lights around the house earlier that evening, maybe Aika was right to be a little bit wary too. Vyse slung a cajoling arm over Aika's shoulders and whispered quietly to her, deciding to appeal to their more self interested nature, "Ramona's right. And besides, who knows what kind of treasure might be lying around an old abandoned manor, right?"

Aika paused and thought it over. If they did find something worth looting, it would probably be worth a whole lot more than the Gallian Army was paying them right now. "Well... maybe."

"That's my girl!" Vyse grinned before turning to Alex, "How about you, Bird? You in? Are you with us?"

Alex looked to his squadmates and suddenly felt overwhelming peer pressure. It was hard enough saying no to Vyse and Aika whenever they got themselves into a situation, but Mayor Arentz seemed genuinely grateful for the offer too. The town was already being nice enough to let the militia stay here and the least that they could do was help out the townsfolk in return. Even more, if Ramona was going, that was another incentive to join the group. Despite his own misgivings, he didn't want to look like he was chickening out in front of her or the rest of his friends for that matter. He would still plan to tell them about what he saw tomorrow morning but then again... maybe it was nothing at all? Maybe it was a trick of the light, or maybe just his imagination? He gave a guarded smile and nodded quietly to his comrades, "Yeah... let's do this thing."


	2. Uninvited Guests

The next day, the four troopers were given permission by Faldio to take a patrol out to the old Langbroek manor. By the time they had finished some morning chores and gathered their equipment, it was midday when they headed down the wooded path leading outside of town. As they walked, the weaker light of the autumn sun lit up the pathway strewn with the colorful leaves which continued falling off the trees. Aika admired the reds, oranges, and yellows of the foliage which blanketed their path and gave a sigh, "Well… I guess this isn't so bad. It's actually kinda pretty out here."

"I agree," Vyse said as he secured his assault rifle and looked to Alex, "Maybe you were just imagining things yesterday night when you were looking at the house."

"Yeah… maybe," Alex shrugged as he kept his eyes on the treeline. He stopped when he caught sight of a large brown owl perched on a shady tree branch. The bird looked to be sleeping and didn't acknowledge the four humans, even as Alex stopped to take a closer look.

"Oh boy… there he goes again," Aika teased gently at her friend's fascination with avian creatures, "Has Lt. Gunther taught you how to have a bird to Bird conversation yet?"

Alex shrugged it off and smiled as he admired the sleeping animal, "What a good looking owl. I noticed there are quite a few in this area of Kloden. Maybe there's good hunting around here?"

Ramona came over and looked at the owl for a moment before giving a little shudder, "Well I don't know about you guys, but I think owls are just kind of spooky. They sit up in the trees at night and look at you with those big eyes. Plus they can turn their heads way around… it's just kinda freaky."

"Oh you should give them a chance," Alex said as he headed back down the road, "They hunt mice and rats so they might surprise you just how much they can help us out."

"Speaking of, I wonder how many rats are running around that old mansion?" Vyse mused with a chuckle, "To think, a bunch of fat owls might prove at least one of those claims wrong. Maybe they're the ones eating up all the wildlife."

The forested path stretched on for about a mile then gave way to a small meadow where the Langbroek manor stood. It was a large two story mansion that had the visage of a once stately rustic style manor back in the day. However, time had not been so kind to it and it looked like a mere shadow of its former self. Some of the wooden beams looked to be partially rotted while the stone and masonry looked faded and dirty. From where the fireteam stood, they saw that the house looked dark and abandoned and only the sound of the gentle wind could be heard, echoing in the crevices of the corpselike house.

"Hmm… charming little place, isn't it?" Ramona quipped with an uneasy look as she unslung her rifle from her shoulder.

"Come on gang. Let's stay sharp," Vyse suggested as he swallowed his apprehension and led the way forward. When they made it halfway across the lawn, Aika stopped and surveyed the grounds carefully. Ramona's scout training kicked in as well and she seemed to pick up on her comrade's curiosity.

"That's a little strange…" Aika frowned, "Look at the grounds here."

"I don't see anything," Vyse said in confusion.

Ramona shook her head, "Aika is right. The main lawn looks different than the surrounding area which is completely wild and overgrown."

Alex bent down to examine the grass, "The mayor said that Clement guy did work to maintain the grounds. The lawn here is in better shape, but it still looks a little shaggy. You would think he'd at least get around to that while he's here, right?"

"Let's take a look around and see if we can't track this groundskeeper down," Vyse suggested while eying the area.

"Fine. Let's split up," Aika suggested, "But I'll pass on going into that dingy house first."

Vyse gave a patient sigh and shook his head, "Fine. You and I can scout out the perimeter then."

"Lucky us. We get the house," Ramona muttered in apprehension as she walked toward the front door, "Come on Alex. Let's have a look around."

As Aika and Vyse headed off to look around the far edges of the meadows and the manor grounds, Alex and Ramona walked up the creaky porch and stopped when they saw that the door was slightly ajar. Despite the light of midday, the atmosphere of the desolate house gripped the hearts of the two troopers with a growing sense of dread and apprehension. Alex and Ramona exchanged an uneasy look and gripped their weapons to a ready position.

"Maybe it was just the wind or something?" she offered weakly.

"Yeah… let's hope so," Alex muttered as he decided to draw some courage from a sense of chivalry and he led the way inside.

The shocktrooper entered slowly and he cautiously eyed the front foyer of the dark and dusty mansion. It was dead quiet inside and some weak rays of sunlight peeked in through some of the dusty windows and faded diaphanous curtains which gave a gentle haunting sway in the breeze. Ramona followed behind him and gave a mild sputter as she swatted at her head.

Alex whirled around, "Ramona? What's wrong?"

She shook out her messy updo and wiped her face with her gloves in disgust, "Gross! I think I just walked into a big cobweb! Are there any spiders in my hair?"

Alex took a quick look and shook his head before flicking on a small flashlight, "No. I think you're okay. Let's go."

They slowly crept deeper inside the house and looked around. A few bugs skittered by underfoot while small clouds of dust gave way from the walls that were covered in peeling wallpaper and faded plaster. Fortunately both Alex and Ramona had keen eyesight in the gloom and it helped them navigate the shadowy passageways. They stayed close as they passed a few faded black and white portraits of the Langbroek family hanging on the wall. As Alex swept his light over them, it seemed the eyes of the portraits followed them and regarded the two intruders with either mild suspicion or forlorn melancholy. Eventually, they came to a portrait of a beautiful young woman with long brown tresses. She wore a fine dress befitting her noble aristocratic status and she wore a faint smile. In an odd way, the serene expression had an ethereal haunting quality about it.

"She's beautiful," Ramona commented, "I wonder if this is Dominique Langbroek? The girl from the story?"

Alex studied the picture and did his best not to shiver, "If it is, it's hard to believe she'd be some restless spirit now. She looks so calm and happy in this photo."

They continued on, investigating to the end of the hallway and finally stopped at one of the open doors leading into a dressing room with chests and an old wooden armoire. The two peeked inside the doorway and froze when they saw a humanlike figure standing by one of the windows in the corner. The thin light that came in from the dusty window shone onto a feminine figure draped in a long dress with a veil covering the head. The gown which had once been a pristine white was now faded and yellowed with time and the moment of panic soon faded when they realized that it was not a person but a dressing mannequin… one that was likely wearing the wedding gown of Dominique Langbroek. Alex and Ramona stood staring with morbid fascination at the ghostly remnants of its owner within the empty room that time had long since forgotten.

To her surprise, Ramona found herself drawn toward the mannequin. She paced over and stood for a minute admiring the fine craftsmanship and the surreal beauty of the decaying garment. She jumped when Alex gently touched her shoulder and spoke quietly, "Ramona... we should probably move on."

He led them out of the room and quietly closed the door behind them, "In a weird way, it almost feels like we're intruding on someone's room, don't you think?"

Ramona gave a quiet nod of agreement and followed him as they backtracked toward the other end of the manor. As they rounded a corner, she gave a startled gasp and her eyes went wide in fear. Despite the start, she called out in a quiet hiss, "Alex! Look!"

He followed her gaze and froze when he saw a dark red splatter on the side of a wall. He swept his flashlight around the hall and saw a red stain pooled on the floor nearby. The two Gallian soldiers tensed and felt their hair stand on end as they crept closer to investigate. Ramona squinted and ran a finger along the stain on the wall, "Look at this… it looks like someone got shot. There's a bullet hole in the wall."

"I guess that rules out murderous ghost," Alex grimly murmured as he studied the stain on the floor, "This blood is dried, but it still looks fairly recent. Maybe from a few days ago?"

"You don't think this blood is the groundskeeper's… do you?"

Alex turned his flashlight and found a thin trail of dried blood leading down the other hallway, "I guess there's only one way to find out."

Both troopers readied their weapons and advanced slowly and silently. They had both been in hairy situations on the battlefield before but even as they tried to keep their breathing steady and quiet, it almost seemed like the inner pounding sounds of their racing hearts would give them away. They followed the trail to a wide open living room that was shrouded in gloom. Silhouettes of small statues and picture frames stood at a fireplace mantle while a few sofas and chairs sat shrouded in old sheets. In another corner of the room, they could make out the shadow of a piano that had long been forgotten. Alex passed his light over the area and noted each object until he came to the figure at the center of the chamber.

There laying in the middle of the living room was a lifeless body shrouded in a bloodstained sheet. The stain seemed to come from the chest suggesting this was indeed the victim. They approached hesitantly, and saw that the dead man's slacks and shoes seemed to be the same modern style as that of the other Autumnvale villagers. This must have been Clement. Alex reached down and pulled aside part of the sheet showing the man's body which looked like it had been left for a few days. He was a middle aged man with thinning blonde hair and weathered lines on his face. While there were no overt signs of decomposition, the corpse had a ghastly pallor about it and his eyes remained open staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

Ramona gasped and grabbed Alex's arm, reflexively using him to shield her. Despite both of them having witnessed death and corpses littered on the battlefield, this was a different situation and they found it rightfully unnerving. Alex put the sheet back over the body and gave a reluctant sigh as Ramona let go of him, "It's okay. It's not going to hurt us."

"What is going on?" she murmured in dread, "Who murdered this man here and why?"

"Even more unusual... does it seem like this room is a lot tidier than the others?"

Alex surveyed the room and frowned as he spotted some storage tins sitting nearby on a a large dining table made of dark wood. The tins looked like military supply cartons and Alex felt his stomach drop when he saw the label on them. It had the emblem of the double headed eagle of the Empire on it. He picked up one carton and showed it to her before tucking it away into his bag, "We're in danger here and so are Vyse and Aika. The Empire's forces might be lurking around nearby."

Before Ramona could respond, she felt an odd draft of cool wind come through the house. She felt a slight chill as the the air rippled over her neck and cheek and she almost thought she heard the trace of a wispy voice. She couldn't be sure if it was an auditory hallucination, but she thought she heard an echo in the wind that sounded like the words " _Leave now. Leave now_."

She looked up in dread before they both heard the sound of gunfire coming from nearby. They jumped and let their adrenaline take over as they sprinted back out of the manor and out the front door to confront whatever danger was fast approaching. As they charged out on the lawn, they heard the familiar sound of rifle shots and short bursts of assault weapon fire. They turned in the direction of the noise and were shocked to see Vyse running toward them at full tilt. He waved his arms and shouted to his friends, "Get down! They're coming!"

Seconds later, several more cracks were heard as a few bullets and tracer shots erupted from a treeline on the other end of the wooded meadow. The three Gallians hit the dirt as the enemy gunfire sailed overhead and they scrambled in the grass to find cover behind any logs, rocks, or upturned mounds of soil. A few stray shots raked the lawn and a handful of Imperial scouts emerged from the treeline, threatening to advance further. Once in cover, the Gallians returned fire to keep the Imperials back and buy some time to regroup.

"What the hell happened out there?" Alex shouted to Vyse as he laid down some suppressing fire and emptied his clip, "Where is Aika?"

"She's down! The Imperials got her," his fellow shocktrooper said with a growl.

Ramona popped off a few shots from her rifle and then stared incredulously, "What?"

"I meant she's captured," Vyse answered as he fired his own gun, "We found some tracks and it looks like an Imperial platoon is returning here. They opened fire and Aika got hit in the leg and fell behind. I couldn't..."

"Don't worry Vyse. We'll get her back," Ramona said trying to cheer her distraught comrade up, "We found that they might have set up in the mansion, but how did they slip past our defense lines?"

"We'll worry about that later," Alex called as he ducked behind a fallen log as Imperial return fire raked at the bark, "We need to get back to town and warn Lt. Landzaat! If we don't this whole thing was for nothing."

Vyse growled to himself and looked to his friends before drawing a stick grenade, "Okay... let's do it, for Aika."

Alex prepped a grenade as well while Ramona readied a small grenade to be launched from her rifle. She fired first and the bomb arced high toward the opposite treeline before exploding with a bang. The two male troopers hurled their own grenades as far as they could and their grenades exploded around the already scrambling enemy scouts there. Amid the smoke and the confusion, the three Gallian soldiers jumped up and retreated from the battleground, running as fast their legs would carry them. A few enemy shots tailed after them but they went high and wide before the Gallians rounded a treelined corner and sprinted back down the road toward town. For the next two miles, all that could be heard was the sound of their heavy breathing and the leaves crunching under their boots.

They didn't stop until they were finally in sight of the low stone gate of Autumnvale. The three exhausted friends slowed and let their adrenaline die down while they tried to catch their breath. As they straggled back to town, they stopped by the front gate and took a moment to regroup. They hadn't been expecting to get into a firefight today, much less have one of their friends fall into danger. Vyse clenched a fist and pounded part of the stone wall as he felt an overwhelming wave of guilt wash over him, "Damn... this is all my fault! Aika was right. We shouldn't have gone anywhere near that old house but my dumb ass just had to drag her into this. I should have stayed behind to find her."

"Come on Vyse. Don't do this right now," Alex said tiredly, "If we didn't go up there, we'd have no idea that Imperial forces had infiltrated our defense screens. We can do something about it now."

Ramona grimaced, "I don't know. Our reserve unit in town is pretty small and there are a lot of civilians still around here. If there's a whole enemy platoon up there, we'd be better off playing defense and prevent more civilian casualties."

"More casualties?" Vyse asked in surprise.

"We found the groundskeeper Clement," Alex explained, "It looks like the Imperials shot him dead. They were probably afraid that he'd give away their position."

Vyse nodded quietly, "Well now that we know they're there, let's go talk to the Lieutenant and make those bastards pay. I just hope Aika can hold out long enough for us to rescue her."

As they made their way back into town to report in at their makeshift HQ, the three hoped that Vyse was indeed right, that Aika would be okay and that she would not suffer the same fate as the unfortunate groundskeeper.


	3. Ghost of a Chance

Later that day, Alex, Ramona, and Vyse met with Lt. Faldio Landzaat and gave a full report about their skirmish at the manor. After they had told their story, Faldo sat at his chair and folded his hands with a solemn expression studying the carton of Imperial ammo that Alex had recovered, "This is not good. If there's a sizeable Imperial force up the road, they can use that manor as a staging area and strike Autumnvale. Our rear guard here is already vulnerable."

"Aren't the militia units already screening off the Imperial lines of advance?" Ramona asked, "How did these guys get through and slip past?"

"My guess is that they got turned around in some of the recent fighting," Faldio answered as he got up and headed over to a field radio that had been set up in the makeshift command post, "Lt. Gunther told me that Squad 5 got into a chaotic tussle with a company of Imperial troops in the woods. According to him, there was a lot of confusion and scattered groups running into each other. That platoon you found was probably part of that company."

"Lucky them," Vyse said darkly, "Let's hope that they don't know they've stumbled into an advantageous position."

Alex furrowed his brow and turned to Faldio, "Sir? If we can get some reinforcements from Squad 7 to help us, would it be possible to launch a counterattack on the manor and drive out the enemy?"

Faldio picked up the radio set and nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. I know you guys are worried about Private Thompson but until then, I want all of our available troops dug in here to defend the town."

The three privates stood and listened as Faldio radioed Squad 7 and spoke to their commander, Lt. Welkin Gunther. After hearing the situation, Welkin's voice crackled over the line as the sporadic sounds of gunfire were heard in the background. "I'm sorry Faldio. I wish I could spare an extra fireteam or two but the bulk of the Imperial line has been constantly shifting around. I think they're trying to probe our defenses and find another breach."

"I doubt any of the other squad commanders will be willing to spare any men too?"

"Unlikely," Welkin sighed, "The enemy looks like they're going to try and make their move at any time now. We'll need every trooper we can spare to push back that assault."

Faldio grimaced and made one last transmission, "Understood Welkin. I'll try to figure out what to do over here. Good luck out there."

He set down the speaker and turned to the other privates with an apologetic look, "Sorry everyone. It looks like we're on our own right now."

"With respect Lieutenant, we can't just sit on our hands and not do anything," Vyse protested, "Aika's in trouble! She might be badly hurt and who knows what the Imps would try to do to her."

Ramona nodded with a sympathetic expression sharing the concern for her fellow scout. They had always been friendly enough with each other, but they hadn't spent a whole lot of time together either. For the most part, they ran in separate social circles. Aika had always preferred the company of a louder, more adventurous rough and tumble crowd. Unlike her more tomboyish comrade, Ramona was among the more "girly" and feminine members of the squad. There had been a few times where Aika had jokingly referred to Ramona as "Princess" during field training exercises because she hated getting her uniform all stained and messy. Still that was all done in good humor and she didn't want to leave a comrade behind either.

"Lieutenant, what if we organize a small raiding party to attack at night under the cover of darkness?" she asked.

Faldio scratched his chin, "That still sounds a bit risky. Even if you get into a firefight, you're still going to be at a disadvantage. You might get disoriented in the darkness and you'll still be heavily outgunned."

"I can't take it. We have to figure something out!" Vyse cried in agitation as he marched out of the room, "I know your hands are tied Lieutenant, but if you can't help figure out something to help our friend, then I'll come up with a plan for a rescue mission myself."

Alex moved to go after his friend but Faldio put a calm hand on his shoulder while shaking his head, "Let him go Private Raymond. Let him vent and get it out of his system. We can put our heads together again when everyone's calmer and cooler."

"Yes sir," Alex replied giving a reluctant nod before heading for another doorway out of the building. Ramona looked up in surprise.

"Alex? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go stand watch for a while," he said, "I figure I might as well do something productive in the meantime."

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Langbroek estate, early evening was setting in and the weak golden glow of the autumn sunlight began to fade from over the treeline. Inside the manor, Aika Thompson found herself tied to a chair with her arms and legs bound tightly. She had tried struggling free, but it was little use. It was hard enough moving her legs, especially the one that had taken a glancing shot. She silently cursed her bad luck and chastised herself for letting her injury cause her to fall behind.

When she was found in the meadow, they had bandaged her leg and applied some ragnaid to the wound to dull the pain. She now found herself in the run down manor's large sitting room with a few armed guards posted around her. By the looks of it, the officers of the enemy platoon had decided to set up their temporary base there. Now that the rest of their patrols had returned, they began to set up camp for the night.

The Imperial captain leading the invaders lit a few candles in the room to give a little more light before ambling over to where Aika sat. "Maybe now you're in a better mood to talk sweetheart? I lit some candles to set the mood."

"Get bent," Aika retorted with a sniff and she flinched as the Imperial raised a hand to strike her, but then restrained himself.

The captain walked over and picked up a supply carton that was sitting on the table. He produced a few dry ration biscuits and presented them to Aika, "How about something to eat?"

She scowled, "I'm not hungry."

No sooner had she said that, her stomach betrayed her and gurgled angrily. The Imperial officer laughed and let her take a bite of the biscuit before sitting down across from her in an arm chair. By now he had his subordinates drag out the dead body of the groundskeeper and dispose of him in the yard. "Believe it or not, we're not complete savages."

"What do you want?"

"What do you think? Information," the captain said calmly, "How many of you are in the town? My men chased off the rest of your fireteam earlier and they looked like they were well armed for militia."

Aika gave him a careful look, "There's enough of us… oh, and a couple tanks too so unless you want to get massacred, I wouldn't try it."

The captain fixed a steady gaze on her, "I don't doubt your militia is tough. We've seen them already. But I think you're lying."

"You can think whatever you want," Aika said as she struggled against her bonds a few more times, "Knowing them, I'll bet they're going to launch a major counterattack and save me really soon."

"Perhaps," the captain shrugged, "But I doubt it. If my scouts words are to be trusted, then your little town is in poor shape to defend itself. The people are still having a little autumn festival."

Aika fell silent and kept a hard look on her face, trying not to show any fear or dismay that her bluff wasn't working. Her eyes drifted around the room before they rested on an oil painting above the fireplace mantle. It looked to be a picture of the Langbroek family in the meadowlands. Her eyes fell on the daughter in the picture and she remembered the story about Dominique. As creepy as this old candlelit mansion was, Aika decided to do the only thing she could think of: try to shake the morale of the Imperials here.

"I'd start praying for your men tonight," Aika said solemnly, "I'd say they're in more danger than you possibly know."

The captain stopped and turned to her curiously, "Oh? Why should we possibly be worried?"

Aika took a deep breath to steel her nerves and maintain a level voice, "You don't know anything about this house... do you?"

"Should I?"

Aika gave a slow sinister grin in the flickering candlelight and spoke in a low voice, "This place is cursed, Captain. You see that picture over there by the fireplace? That girl is Dominique Langbroek. The people of the town don't come up here because they say her spirit still walks here at night."

Two of the enemy troopers who were standing guard nearby exchanged an uneasy look before she continued. Aika retold the tragic story of the Widow in White and how she walked in the mist of the night looking for her fiancee. Despite their rational skepticism, the Imperial soldiers who were present listened and were engrossed by Aika's ghost story if only for a few minutes. As expected, the flickering candles and the cool whistling wind through the dark derelict house set the perfect atmosphere for such a morbid tale.

Before the Imperials' imaginations could start going into overdrive, the captain waved it off with a derisive snort, "Nice try girlie. You aren't going to scare us with any of your fairy tales. The only ghosts that are going to around in Autumnvale will be those of your friends when we destroy the Gallian forces here."

He ordered his other sentries to their posts and got up blowing out a few of the candles leaving only one for Aika, "If you're so concerned about our lives, then I suggest you pray for your own Gallian. Maybe your ghostly girlfriend will see fit to spare you too."

The captain laughed and left the room leaving her in darkness save for that one candle. Aika shivered to herself and tried desperately to not give in to the fear she was feeling. She had admittedly freaked herself out with that story and she could only pray that the candle wouldn't go out. She prayed that her friends back in town were doing everything they could to help her. Right now, she just had to believe that Vyse, Alex, and Ramona would come to rescue her and they they'd never leave her like this.

* * *

Back in town, Alex sat alone in one of the local watchtowers keeping a quiet vigil over Autumnvale. In light of all the recent events, he just wanted a quiet place to perch so that he could clear his head and figure out what to do next. He knew Vyse was already distraught and guilt ridden over this and when he left earlier, he didn't seem to be in the mood for company either. Alex could only give a despondent sigh and feel a little more depressed at the sight of the nearly empty town that evening. With news of the Imperials nearby, both Faldio and Mayor Arentz had ordered the Festival to be postponed and for people to stay off the streets at night. All that remained were the decorations and the festive lights that continued to glow, only with no one to enjoy them. That was truly a depressing sight and a reminder of the way this war was depressing others as well.

He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the sound of someone else climbing up the ladder of the wooden watchtower to join him. He turned in surprise to see the familiar red hair of a female scout, "Ramona? I... what are you doing here?"

She gave a weak smile and shrugged, "Hey Alex. Sorry, do you mind if I join you?"

"No. Not at all," he said moving over to make room for her as she sat down beside him. While he was a little pleased she was even there with him, he couldn't help but be a little confused as well. "Sorry, I just came up here to clear my head and figure out what to do next."

"I guess that makes sense," she said trying to give a positive smile, "Your friends call you Bird and you're perched way up here."

"So I'm a little surprised you came out here looking for me," Alex pointed out trying to get serious again, "I'm guessing you wanted to talk about something? Maybe about what we should do?"

"Well... yes and no. I did want to try and figure out what the three of us can do to help Aika."

"I know what you mean," Alex sighed, "Vyse is taking this pretty hard. I know he was feeling kinda guilty, but I've rarely seen him get this worked up."

"Maybe there's something going on between those two?" Ramona speculated out loud, "I always kinda got that impression. Didn't you?"

Alex gave a sheepish shrug, "As in romantic? Geez... I don't know. Maybe? I just figured they're already best friends and all so naturally they'd be super protective of each other."

"Oh? And what about me? Would you be as upset and worried if I got captured instead?" Ramona teased him gently while nudging his shoulder with hers.

"Uh... well, of course I'd be really worried too," Alex answered as he felt his cheeks grow warm and he floundered for a reasonable response. "We're all squad-mates here and I'd feel like a pretty crummy shocktrooper if I didn't do a good job protecting a pretty girl too, right?"

Ramona turned and glanced at him curiously for a moment and Alex held his breath hoping she didn't catch his slight slip of the tongue. He decided to change the subject instead, "Was there something else on your mind?"

Ramona nodded and gave a sigh, "Yeah... actually, there's another reason I also wanted to talk to you. It's about what happened at the manor earlier today."

"You're still freaked out over that body we found? I mean... I guess it was kinda creepy but..."

Ramona shook her head, "No. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something a little more... unusual."

Alex turned to face her with a curious look as she continued, "You remember when you were telling us about how you saw those strange lights coming from the house the other night?"

"Sure. But if the Imperials were there, maybe it just came from their scouts or something like that."

"Maybe,"Ramona said, "Or maybe you were right about the lights being something more weird and unexplained. I think I had a supernatural experience of my own when we were in that house today."

"What do you mean? Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

Ramona nodded, "I'm fine. It's just... right before we heard the gunfire, I felt a cold breeze come through the house and it chilled me to the bone. Didn't you feel it?"

"Actually, no. I didn't feel a thing," Alex replied apologetically.

"That wasn't all," Ramona said quietly with a solemn expression, "I thought I heard something in that breeze. Maybe some kind of voice, or warning? It all happened so fast but I could have sword the whispers were repeating themselves and telling us to 'Leave now.'

Alex stared at her in silence and they were both unnerved at the silence. Finally Ramona winced, "You don't believe me? You think I'm insane, don't you?"

"No. I don't think you're crazy," he said quietly, "Maybe I didn't feel that chill in the air or hear those whispers, but I do think there's something kinda creepy about that place. Something I can't quite describe."

Ramona shivered quietly before her eyes went wide and she tugged at his sleeve, "Wait! Alex... if there is some kind of ghost in that house, then Aika and the Imperials there are right in the way of it. They could be in danger!"

"Hold on Ramona, that's a big if... and you're assuming that ghost is real," Alex stated.

"And if it is, do you want poor Aika to die of fright?" Ramona protested, "You know how much she hates ghost stories and all that stuff."

Alex paused a moment as inspiration began to strike. A small smile grew on his face and he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Ghost stories... that might be it! Ramona, you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"We could use the legend of the White Widow to chase off the Imperials and save Aika!" Alex exclaimed in excitement, "The villagers said it was a well known story in these parts and I'm sure the Imperials will already be a little creeped out from staying in that old manor tonight."

Ramona scratched her head, "I guess so... but as fun as that might be, this plan still sounds insane. How do you plan to scare a whole platoon of Imperial troops away?

From his vantage point, Alex saw that a light evening mist had begun to settle in over the area. He turned to her with a wink as he took her by the wrist and pulled her down the stairs after him, "First we're going to need some of your expertise in fashion design. As for the rest... leave it to me."


	4. Zero Hour, Witching Hour

Later that night, Vyse returned to the militia's temporary command post in town. He had gotten word from Alex to come and he secured the rest of his combat gear as he entered the building. He had been instructed to suit up for battle and when he arrived, he found Alex waiting in the front common room also dressed in his combat equipment. The blonde young man looked up from his arm chair and gave a relieved nod, "Vyse... glad you got my message. Thanks for coming."

"Alex? I don't really understand what's going on here," Vyse said as he walked over, "Lt. Landzaat said we weren't going to attack the manor. Why are we suiting up for battle tonight?"

Alex stood up, "Easy there buddy. I spoke to the Lieutenant and we're going to carry out a plan to get Aika back and maybe rout the enemy platoon there too. He was a little shaky on the idea, but if we're lucky, it should only take a few of us to work."

Vyse raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And how are just a couple troopers like us going to fight off an entire enemy platoon?"

"We're not going to drive them all off. The Widow in White is going to do that."

Vyse stood with a blank look on his face, "What? How is a children's ghost story going to help us right now?"

At that moment, the door from another lounge opened and Ramona emerged with the project she had been working on. She was dressed in a long flowing white gown that was adorned with a simple embroidered design. Although she didn't have a whole lot of time to fashion the garment and tailor it exactly, it was still a good makeshift piece of clothing that could pass for a wedding dress from a distance. She wore a white opaque veil over her face that helped obscure it from sight. Underneath the veil, she had applied some costume makeup to her face to give herself a little bit of a ghastly skeletal appearance if anyone were to take a look at her from a distance.

"Well? How do I look?" she asked striking a little pose.

Vyse blinked in surprise, "Ramona? Is that you? Why are you dressed like that?"

Faldio entered the room and came over to join the three soldiers, "Private Linton is going to put on a little performance tonight. She's going to pose as the legendary White Widow and draw the attention of the Imperial forces by the manor."

"We can only hope they'll be surprised and shaken just long enough to carry out a raid," Ramona added as she picked up her rifle and loaded it.

"We're going to use the mist as part of our cover tonight and Ramona is going to scare off as many pickets as she can," Alex explained, "I'll be nearby to provide cover for her and slow down the Imperials when things get really hot."

"And what about Aika?" Vyse asked.

Faldio placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "That's where you come in. While the Imperials at the manor are distracted by your friends, your job is to strike from the rear of the house and make your getaway with Private Thompson as fast as possible."

Vyse thought it over and gave a slight grin. It sounded dangerous and risky enough and that was always something that appealed to his daredevil nature, "Sounds really dangerous. I like it."

"Remember, the idea is to cause chaos and confusion," Faldio instructed them, "Don't get into a major firefight if you can avoid it. I don't want to face Lt. Gunther if I end up losing four of his troopers for nothing."

"We know the risks and we're willing to accept them," Alex said, "Aika is our friend and we're not leaving her. I know Lt. Gunther would pull out all stops to save any one of us too so I'm sure he'd understand."

"Let's hope you're right Private Raymond," Faldio said dismissing them, "And for your sake, I wish you guys luck out there."

* * *

After departing the command post, the three Gallians crossed town and made their way back up the dark road toward the Langbroek manor. As they made the trek, they did their best to not make too much noise for fear it might alert unwanted attention. Even though they had packed light, both Alex and Vyse couldn't help but feel a little bit of anxiety every time some of their shocktrooper armor plates made a gentle rattle. At the head of the group, Ramona led the way. Not only did she have the best vision at night, she was traveling light as well, only carrying her rifle, a couple clips of ammo, and her blue military jacket to keep her warm from the chill of the night.

"You know... I will say one thing," Vyse muttered quietly as he watched the warm safety of Autumnvale's distant lights disappear behind them, "This road is a bit more spooky at night."

Alex nodded quietly in agreement and followed close behind Ramona trying to keep his mind focused on the mission, rather than let his own imagination start playing tricks on him. He had to admit that in the darkness, the sight of Ramona was a little eerie as her flowing white dress glided like a ghost along the misty paths. She had related her own supernatural experience earlier and they could only hope that this was all just a result of their imaginations getting the best of them. If they were already a little paranoid, then the Imperials must have been a little on edge too.

They made their way though the dark foreboding forest trail until they rounded the bend and found themselves once again at the edge of the Langbroek estate. From the treeline, they saw that a low shelf of shifting mist had settled over the area while being highlighted by some dim moonlight that was coming down from the skies. Here and there, the partially cloudy skies drowned out the moonlight causing brief blankets of darkness and shadow to sweep in across the grounds. Fortune must have been smiling down on them as these were virtually ideal conditions for the raid they wanted to pull off. Ramona handed her rifle to Alex and signaled silently to Vyse for him to circle around to the other side of the house and get into position. He would wait there listen until Alex gave him the signal which would be an owl call.

Once Vyse began to creep around the treeline of the meadow, Ramona spotted some Imperial sentries standing watch some distance away. She shrugged off her army jacket and lowered her veil over her face while giving a grim smile to Alex, "All right... show time."

Both of them stayed low and crept through the mist until they were near the sentries. As Alex moved into an ambush position, Ramona slowly rose up from the low hanging fog and slowly approached the three guards. As she walked forward, she began to call out in a haunting sing-songy voice, "Where are you? Where have you gone, my love?"

The guards turned with a start and looked to her in surprise, "Halt! Stop right there! Who are you?"

"Come back to me my love. I'm so lonely without you," Ramona sang out as she swayed in the darkness and hauntingly beckoned toward the soldiers.

Two of the guards slowly backed away with dread. They had been some of the troops who had heard Aika's ghost story and now felt irrational fear begin to grip their hearts. Ramona pushed forward, "Come to me. Come to me."

The one remaining guard who stood his ground began to raise his weapon, but he suddenly gave a cry as Alex reached up from the obscuring mist and pulled him down into the shadows. The two remaining sentries cried out in alarm and began to flee back toward the front porch of the house when they saw their other comrade seemingly get dragged into the ground. Ramona paused and looked to Alex who stayed low to the ground after having knocked out the enemy soldier. "Hmm... this is a first. I normally have the opposite effect on men."

"Let's keep it up. Once we draw more of them out, I'll signal Vyse," Alex whispered while giving a thumbs up.

The two advanced across the lawn and neared an old barren tree sitting by the front of the house. On one of the top branches, an owl had perched and watched the scene with curiosity. By now, the frightened guards had called several more comrades to the porch and the Imperials gathered to confront this strange phantom. They waited before Ramona emerged again from the shifting mists. She swayed and gently beckoned while calling out again in a haunting sing-songy voice, "Come back my love. Why did you run? Come back to me."

Several more Imperials were called out to the front of the house staring with a mixture of shock, confusion, and fear at the strange sight. As Ramona drifted toward the old tree, she continued to draw the attention of the Imperials and watched the fear growing among them. "Don't keep me waiting. Come back to me."

At that moment, the captain of the platoon walked out to the porch and stared at the ghostly figure on the lawn, "What's going on here?"

"Sir... it's the Woman in White," one of the soldiers said, "She... she does exist."

The captain scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. There is no ghost and you're all idiots!"

He turned to one of his lancers and grabbed his weapon. The captain turned the weapon toward Ramona and fired a rocket that streaked across the yard. Ramona gasped as the shot went wide and blasted the old tree causing it to erupt into a cloud of branches and wood splinters. The owl who was perched there gave a screeching call and took flight toward the Imperials distracting them for a moment as it fluttered away continuing to give an angry call. Meanwhile, a broken half of the tree split sideways and crashed down on Ramona. Before the remnants of the ruined tree could crush her, Alex sprung up from the mist and tackled Ramona to throw her clear from harm. Both of them landed hard on the lawn and rolled clear of the danger. Once they came to a stop, Alex shook off some of the debris from his shoulder guards before looking in surprise to Ramona who shifted underneath him.

He got up quickly and helped her sit up, "Ramona! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. Thanks for the save," she sputtered trying to shake off the blast they had narrowly avoided. She took up her rifle and looked to the skies as the clouds shifted and began to cast light over the field, "What do you say we return the favor?"

He gave a silent grin and cocked his rifle, "Let's do it."

From the porch of the manor, the Imperials looked out toward the fog on the lawn and the smoldering remains of the tree. The captain handed the lance back to one of his soldiers, "See? So much for your ghost."

Just then, the moonlight lit up the lawn and Ramona slowly rose up from the mists at a different spot some distance away from the tree. The enemy soldiers stared and felt even more fear as one of them muttered, "Uh... sir? I don't think you got her."

To their surprise, the 'ghost' brandished a Gallian rifle and took aim at the porch, "Nice try. I'm not going to let you ruin this dress anymore."

As she opened fire, Alex sprung up and unloaded a lethal spray of hot led from his own rifle catching the Imperials completely flatfooted. The firefight was now on.

* * *

Vyse listened as the sounds of chaos erupted from the other side of the manor. He had heard the sound of a lancer's shot explode followed by some gunfire and a keening owl call. That must have been the signal as he spotted a few of the Imperial troops who were lurking around the rear of the house scramble off to respond to the commotion. Seeing his path clear and unguarded, Vyse rose from the tall grass and quickly sprinted across the moonlit yard toward the back porch. He charged up the steps and forced the rear door open with his shoulder before he raised his assault rifle and made his way inside, "Just hang on a little longer Aika. I'm coming for you."

Meanwhile inside the house, Aika had been starting to doze off in the candlelight before she heard an explosion go off from somewhere outside. She jolted awake and looked around to hear a pair of Imperial soldiers outside the door rush off to investigate what was going on. Had her friends actually come back for her now? Were they launching some kind of attack on the Imperial camp? All she knew is that she had to get free. She began struggling against her bonds again before she heard another commotion from the opposite side of the parlor. It sounded like a loud scuffle followed by a short spray of weapons fire. Moments later, she gasped in shock as a door leading toward the rear of the house burst open and an Imperial soldier toppled over to the floor and lay motionless. As the last of the guards fell over, Aika's eyes grew wide as she saw Vyse emerge from the door way and spot her in the parlor. "Vyse? Is that really you?"

"Aika! There you are! Thank God I found you!" Vyse exclaimed as she rushed over and pulled out a combat knife to cut her free from the chair, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine. I'll be okay now," she said as her hands came free and her threw her arms around her best friend's neck in a relieved hug, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Vyse answered as he cut her legs free and handed her a spare pistol, "Alex and Ramona are drawing off the rest of the enemy so we don't have a lot of time."

He glanced to her thigh which was wrapped in a bandage and looked to be a little bit bloodstained, "We have to move now. Can you walk?"

"I think so," she said as Vyse helped her rise. He steadied her as she began hobbling forward, "I'll do my best."

They were about to make their escape when a cold draft of air seemed to sweep through the room and startle them. The single candle on the nearby end table went out blanketing the room in darkness once more and the two soldiers thought they heard a muffled whispering with the air. Aika jumped and readied her pistol, "What was that?"

"I don't know. Let's just get the hell out of here," Vyse whispered back as they hurried out of the room and made their escape from the manor. As they burst through the back door and rushed off the creaky old porch onto the lawn, they began to angle around toward the front yard. Vyse waved them in that direction calling, "Come on! We've gotta help Alex and Ramona. Maybe we can hit the enemy from behind."

As they rounded the corner of the house, they saw the mists had grown thicker and a large group of the other enemy troops from the platoon had gathered. They were looking around the darkness in confusion. They could still hear the sporadic sounds of gunfire nearby, but they couldn't tell where the enemy was coming from anymore. That was when the clouds parted slightly and the troops spotted a feminine figure wearing a pale dress in the moonlight. Her back was turned to Vyse and Aika and she glided slowly and deliberately toward the enemy.

Aika skidded to a halt and froze with wide eyes, "What the..."

"Hold on girl. It's okay. That's Ramona," Vyse reassured her.

They watched as the woman in white continued to drift closer through the mist causing the Imperial soldiers to take pause. One of them raised his rifle toward the eerie figure and called out, "You there! Stop right there! Don't come any closer."

The woman stopped and remained silent and motionless while her dress rippled in the cold breeze. The soldier called out again, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

The woman slowly raised her hands and lifted her veil up. Whatever it was that the Imperial soldiers saw in the moonlight, or what they thought they saw caused them all to recoil in horror. Before they could say anything more, an explosion from a grenade went off in the near distance while the woman let out a keening unearthly wail that seemed to carry on the winds and echo throughout the forests. The frightened Imperials screamed in terror and turned to flee as fast as they could in the other direction. Both Aika and Vyse who had been standing in wonder gave a cheer of relief, and opened fire to chase the enemy off for good.

"Dance punks!" Vyse laughed as he unloaded a spray of rifle fire while Aika popped off a few pistol shots too.

"Bang, bang, baby!"

Once the bulk of the enemy troops had been routed, Vyse and Aika lowered their weapons and gave a wave to their comrade, "All right! Way to go Ramona!"

The woman in white lowered her veil and turned her head slightly in the direction of the Gallians before surprising them. Instead of coming to greet them, she quickly headed off into the mists after the Imperials. Aika stumbled forward to give chase, "Hey! Wait! You're going the wrong way!"

Another patch of clouds briefly covered the moonlight above and the two lost sight of their comrade in the murky darkness. As they continued moving out to the edge of the front lawn, Vyse looked around in confusion, "Hey, where is Alex? Shouldn't he be around here?"

Moments later both Alex and Ramona emerged from the mists carrying their rifles and trying to catch their breaths. The two pairs of friends ran into each other and greeted each other with a mixture of surprise and relief. Alex shook Vyse's hand, "Vyse! Aika! You made it!"

"I can't believe this crazy plan actually worked," Vyse answered as Aika looked to Ramona with a smile.

"Hey, looking good Linton. You did great out there... but why were you going the other way? And where was Alex?"

Ramona blinked in confusion, "What are you talking about? I was chasing off the Imperials. Alex was with me this whole time."

Alex clapped Aika gently on the shoulder and gave a wave, "Come on, let's get out of here. We've got the Imps running scared."

"Sounds like a plan," Ramona nodded in agreement as she slung her rifle back over her shoulder.

Vyse scooped Aika up and began to carry her as the Gallians quickly made their retreat from the estate, "Come on. Time to go."

While they hurried away down the wooded road, Aika peeked out over Vyse's shoulder as the clouds parted once more. In the light of the moon, Aika thought she saw a vague figure of a person in the mists standing by the front steps of the manor. When she blinked her eyes, the mists had shifted and the person was gone. For now, it didn't matter. The warm lights of Autumnvale were calling to the Gallians and returning to the safety the town was now their top priority. As far as they were concerned, the mission was accomplished, everyone was safe, and that was good enough for them.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **All right troops, hold your ground. One more chapter left to go so that I can wrap this story up.**


	5. Team Spirit

The next day, the four Gallian soldiers took some time to rest and recover from their harrowing ordeal at the Langbroek Manor. During the downtime, reports from the frontline began to come in. The rest of the Imperial forces made their push and were driven back from the edge of Kloden. After such a disastrous defeat, the routed enemy was pulling back to lick their wounds. At the same time, the Imperials who had been occupying the Langbroek Manor had now scattered in all directions. A few of them had been captured by the Gallian militia squads and were said to be emotional wrecks. According to the militias, all the enemy soldiers could do was babble nonsense about some horrific demon they saw in the moonlight.

By the end of the day, the mood in Autumnvale had changed dramatically. The enemy had been driven off and the victorious Squad 7 had returned at a perfect time to celebrate the rest of the Harvest Festival that had been briefly postponed. Villagers were once again out in the streets enjoying food, music, and the company of friends amid the colorful evening lights. At the fringes of the town's central plaza, Lt. Welkin Gunther stood with Faldio Landzaat and the fireteam that had raided the manor. Although he was tired and grimy from battle, Welkin took time to debrief his own troops and offer a hand to his fellow squad commander.

"Thanks for looking after things here Faldio," Welkin said shaking his friend's hand. "Supervising the rear line reserves usually isn't too fun, but it sounds like you had a bit of excitement."

"I'd give most of the credit to your troopers, Welkin. They came up with the counter op and carried it out. I just signed off on it. Your people can be a bit unconventional, but I have to admire their guts and resourcefulness," Faldio replied as he gave the four a wink and then headed off toward the festival, "That said, I think I'm going to relax for a bit an enjoy the rest of this festival tonight. I'll catch you later."

Welkin nodded and turned back to his people standing at attention, "He's right you know. You four did a great thing here and I'm very proud of you. Even if you weren't able to save the groundskeeper, you still prevented a lot more people from being harmed by the enemy. I mean, using a local ghost story to scare off an entire enemy platoon? That was pretty ingenious."

"Thank you sir," the all said together while giving him a salute.

Welkin paused, "Still... I'm a little curious about one thing in your reports that didn't quite line up. Aika and Vyse, you mentioned that Ramona had confronted the enemy at one end of the yard. She scared them with a scream, and then chased them into the fog..."

"Except I don't recall that ever happening," Ramona spoke up in confusion, "I didn't do that... or scare the Imperials with any scream. Once Alex and I engaged the enemy in a firefight, we were chasing them from the other direction when they scattered. That's when we ran into Aika and Vyse."

"Well if that wasn't you, then who was it?" Vyse asked, "You can't seriously tell us we saw a ghost and didn't know it. There's no way..."

Aika shivered slightly and a long uncomfortable pause settled in over the four before Alex cleared his throat and tried to come up with a rational explanation, "Things did get a little chaotic and confusing with all the fog and darkness. With all the gunfire and the screeching of that owl, it's probably hard to remember exactly what everyone saw and heard, right?"

Ramona furrowed her brow and looked to Welkin, "Lieutenant Gunther? Lt. Landzaat said that another patrol went up to the estate this morning to check the grounds and make sure it was clear. They didn't find anything unusual, did they?"

He scratched his chin, "Well... come to think of it, there was one thing. When they swept the lawn, they found an old faded wedding dress laying in the grass. We thought maybe that was your doing, or part of your trick?"

The other four stood frozen in stunned silence before Ramona spoke again, "No sir. When Alex and I looked in the house, we found that dress hung up in the room of Dominique Langbroek. We never touched it or moved it. I mean... there's no way that it could have been... could it?"

"I'll bet some clowns from Squad 1 just made up the story to try and mess with us," Aika said nervously while Welkin shrugged it off and dismissed the fireteam.

"Well, whatever the case, I won't keep you any longer. You might as well go rest up and enjoy the festival tonight. I think you've all earned it."

After Welkin left, the four headed to a wooden picnic table so that Aika could sit down and rest her injured leg. The facts that Lt. Gunther had pointed out in the debriefing were a little unusual and maybe even unsettling, but there was no chance that could have been the restless spirit of Dominique Langbroek, could it? Maybe it had all been their nerves, or a mass hallucination, or maybe just some botched reports. For the sake of their sanity, the four decided to just stay silent about it and not speculate any more for fear of making it even worse. Instead, they had colorful lights, warm food, and music to comfort them right now.

Ramona reached over and patted Aika on the shoulder, "Well girl, I'm guessing you're not going to be able to do much dancing or running around tonight, huh?"

"I might have to pass," Aika shrugged, "Our medic Fina patched me up earlier and said that if I took it easy on my leg, I should be as good as new in no time."

"Well in the mean time, I'm going to start by making it up to you," Vyse said pointing to the food stalls, "I've got your dinner covered and whatever else you want tonight, oh and I'll help with whatever chores you need to do until you get well again."

"You must be feeling guilty if you're sounding so whipped," Aika teased him with an gentle smile, "I think I could get used to this. Thank you Vyse. I appreciate it."

He gave a nod and headed off to get some food leaving Aika to sit and watch the music and dancing that was going on nearby. While she was busy, Ramona turned to Alex and gave a light chuckle, "Well I don't know about you, but for once I'm glad to be back in uniform. Wearing Gallian blue was never such a welcome sight."

"Oh I don't know... for pretending to be an undead spirit, I didn't think you looked half bad," Alex joked.

"Really? I figured you'd probably pay more attention if I wore owl feathers in my hair or something," Ramona teased back earning a mutual laugh.

After a pause Alex gave a sigh, "Well... I guess this is it huh? Now that the rest of the squad is back, you're back to patrolling with your own fireteam and the other girls again?"

"Looks like," she smiled apologetically, "But it was still kinda nice getting to hang out with a new group for a while. Despite the creepy old house and the ghost stories... I liked working with you guys and I actually had some fun too."

Aika chimed in from the side, "Well Ramona, you're welcome to close out the rest of the festival and stick around with us if you want."

"Yeah. I'd like that," she answered before Aika reached over and gave Alex a gentle nudge forward.

"Hey Bird, since I'm just going to be stuck gimping around right now, why don't you take my place tonight. Ask Ramona to dance and go have some fun."

Alex sputtered in mild embarrassment feeling his normally confident energy melt away, "What? Me?"

"I never did get a chance to thank you for saving me from that falling tree last night," Ramona pointed out as she gave him a kind smile. She took his hand and began to pull him out toward the square where people were dancing, "Come on. Come dance with me Alex."

"Oh geez... are you sure?" he asked with slight hesitation.

Ramona answered in a playful version of her ghostly voice, "Unless you're scared of terrible misfortune at the hands of a sinister woman."

He laughed aloud and followed her into the square while Aika sat watching with a satisfied smirk as Vyse returned and handed her a plate of food with a cup of cider. As they made their way toward the main square, Alex gave a thoughtful look, "You know... I guess something good still came out of all this ghost stuff, don't you think?"

"Hmm. You really think something supernatural was going on?" Ramona asked, "That the Widow was helping us out these last few days?"

"I'm still not sure what to think," he admitted, "And maybe it's for the best that we don't know. But if Dominique is still out there, hopefully she'll have a little more peace with the Imperial soldiers gone."

He glanced over and caught sight of a person standing off to the fringes of the celebration. From the distance, her clothing and features were vague, but she looked to be a young woman in a long white dress. Again, it was hard to distinguish her features as they looked to be shrouded in a thin opaque veil that rippled in the cool air. She stood off at the edge of a shadowy alleyway and seemed to be looking in the direction to where Alex, Ramona, Aika, and Vyse were. But instead of having a malevolent threatening presence, she seemed to be more relaxed. As Alex continued to stare in her direction, he could almost swear that the mysterious lady in white glanced toward him and gave a small approving nod.

"Alex? Is everything okay?" Ramona asked, stopping to give his arm another gentle tug.

He glanced back toward the alleyway and saw that no one was there anymore. But instead of feeling fear and dread, he now felt a sense of calm resolution in its place. He gave Ramona a gentle nod and led her out on the street to join in with the other people, "Yeah... everything is fine now."

"You look like you just saw a ghost," she said as they started to dance but he simply shook his head and gave her a quiet smile.

"No. Not a ghost... just a friend."

 **The End**

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **As always, thanks again to everyone who read and followed with me all the way here. I hope you enjoyed this fic as well as having a little bit of a Halloween/ghost-story twist on Valkyria Chronicles. If you liked the story, feel free to let me know what you think while I finish up and do my thing below. _*strikes a dramatic pose and burns final Command Points*_**

 **All Units Review**

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 **This is an O-R-D-E-R!**

 **"All Readers, sound off and let me know if you liked this story!"**

 **~Sir Perfluous**

 **Signed. Stamped. Sealed.**


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